Hiring a Videographer: In-House vs. Outsourcing
More businesses than ever are looking to incorporate visual tools into their marketing and sales strategies, and with video being popular in its short and long forms, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the first solutions businesses look at. The question is, should you be hiring an in-house videographer, or should you outsource your video production to an external company?
Key Takeaways
• In-house videographers provide convenience and an existing familiarity with the business but may be difficult to find and expensive to hire.
• Outsourcing video production can be great for testing video content strategies without a major commitment or cost, as well as access to more varied skillsets and equipment.
• It is important to ensure a good fit with either option by asking questions such as process, examples of work, and preparation techniques.
Why use in-house videographers?
An in-house videographer is a permanent employee whose job is to create great video content for the business.
Pros of hiring an in-house videographer:
An in-house videographer offers many benefits to a company. It’s incredibly convenient to have someone on-site to film last-minute details and clips on top of the more developed, planned content. Small clips for social media of milestones, celebrations, or general company culture can be a great asset to marketing teams looking to boost engagement and interaction.
Similarly, an internal videographer will have existing relationships with other staff and be familiar with the environment. They will know small details like who feels confident on camera and the noisy parts of an office to avoid. This can minimize logistical issues and disruption that can arise with some external partnerships. Cons of hiring an in-house videographer:
Whilst it's a great asset to have someone who knows the business well, hiring an internal videographer can have its challenges.
In an already difficult hiring market, there is a lot of pressure to find someone to cover a wide set of skills in this role. Not only will they be filming content, but likely editing it, organizing shots, and recording sound among other things. Someone with this variety of skills is likely to be a fairly expensive employee, so as a business, you should be sure you are able to fully utilize this channel before committing.
An average salary for a videographer is estimated to be around $70k + healthcare and other costs. This is on top of the investment in gear that will have a substantial initial cost, and will likely depreciate quite quickly. For businesses with concrete and proven video strategy in place, this could be a perfect fit, but for others, there are alternative options.
Why use outsourced video marketers?
An external video company could be a freelancer or a multimedia company that specializes in creating effective video strategies for businesses, like Melo Multimedia. The type of video company you choose will depend on your project and what you want to achieve.
Pros of using an external video production company:
An external video partner can be perfect for a company that’s just starting to test video content as part of its overall strategy. One-off video projects will often lead to recurring videos, so it’s a great way to test what works and what doesn’t without the investment and commitment of hiring and paying out wages, healthcare, personal time off, and any other costs.
Another perk of using external videographers is that you’ll often get more for your money. This may be as simple as having access to a bigger team with a more varied skill set, or it could be the equipment, lighting, and audio tools that they have at their disposal. External companies are much more likely to have up-to-date equipment and software, as it’s what they do all day, every day, and the projects they work on will be more varied.
Cons of using an external video production company:
When hiring an external company, the main drawback is that they don’t immediately know you or your company. The tradeoff here is that their professionals will be able to adapt and know what works and what doesn’t very quickly. Professional companies will also often do a visit to the location to know what’s needed for a shoot and overcome any logistical challenges.
There are great benefits to both in-house and external videographers, and the best solution will of course depend on the company. If you decide to go to external companies, it is important, as it is when employing someone in-house, to ensure that it’s a good fit.
Common questions to ask a video company include things like:
What is your process?
Have you got examples of your work?
What types of videos would work best for our industry?
How can we prepare to get the most from the shoot?
If you are looking for a Minneapolis production company we want you to feel prepared and informed. Check out the next blog to learn about the Top 5 Videos Businesses Need to Invest In For 2023.
